Thank you to everyone with whom I was able to meet, prior to the stay at home order, for sharing your thoughts on what the important issues are facing our county. Short versions of my thoughts can be found below. Please feel free to contact me with questions about any of these or other issues.
Housing - Tillamook County is deep in a housing crisis. We need housing to meet the needs of our complete workforce; those who make minimum wage and also those who are making more. This cannot be done without providing builders and developers with some tools. Those may include the support of county and local governments looking at planning and zoning in their areas, local property tax abatement, working with our special districts to provide support so that service development charges can be subsidized, advocating at the state level for rural support and priority, and working with stakeholders to learn what else they need. Currently this effort is being led by the Tillamook County Housing Commission where I am proud to be a member. If I am elected I will continue to participate in and assist in leading this work,
Climate Change - House bill 2020 brought this issue into sharp focus in our county and the version brought to the short session kept it in the forefront. I believe that climate change is a critical issue for our world and that we have a responsibility and an opportunity to be part of the solution. What we cannot do, however, is wait for others to solve this problem. If I am elected I will create a climate change task force specifically to create a plan for Tillamook County. We have unique issues and opportunities and I believe that we can best decide how to be a part of the solution right here at home. We can then advocate for the best ways for rural counties to participate in future legislation.
County Budget - As a member of the County Budget Committee last year I had the opportunity to see the financial challenges we face first hand. With the computer hack and pandemic this year county budget will be further stretched. If I am elected I will use my skills learned in my 25 years of non-profit management to find efficiencies and additional resources to support the critical services.
Forest Practices - I am pleased to see that the Governor, environmental groups and leaders from the forest industry have committed to work together to update the Oregon Forest Practices Act. I have spoken with passionate environmentalist, and local forest industry professionals, and I found that both are very committed to protecting our forests, our streams, and our way of life. I believe that by being the table together with a commitment to update this critical legislation we will all see progress. In all the information I have found, I do not see that Tillamook County has a seat at this table. If that is true, I will seek to have county representation in the process.
Linn County Law Suit - I am sorry that the counties and the state were not able to come to agreement as to the contractual requirements without this lawsuit. My first approach to any problem is always to seek to help both sides understand the needs of one another, and then to look for a win win approach. In this case that apparently did not work. Now that the decision has been made by a jury, there is another good opportunity for both sides to come to the table and work out a solution without the state having to raise the full judgement amount with interest, while still acknowledging and meeting the needs of the counties. While I do not have a background in the timber industry, I am committed to learning what is needed to ensure that if we are able to sit at the table with the state, Tillamook County will be well represented.
New Questions Recently Asked and Answered (sorry for any duplication with other answers but wanted to get these up here quickly!
1)Why do you want to be a Tillamook County Commissioner?
As a not-for-profit professional I have dedicated my life to the service of others. Through each agency I have worked for, I have served a specialized sub-population. For example, through CARE I support those in need. In doing this work, I have come to believe that the best way to serve is to be in a position where I am able to make decisions and take actions to support everyone in the county rather than just a small slice of the population. Now more than ever strong, seasoned leadership will be needed to help all of Tillamook County recover from this pandemic and move into a future we choose. I have experience the experience needed to lead this very important work.
2)What experience do you have with working with Tillamook businesses?
My experience with Tillamook County’s businesses is largely in the not-for-profit sector of business. As the Executive Director of CARE, I am operating a $3.6 million business with 60 employees each day. I am responsible for ensuring we have adequate revenue to pay our staff and our bills, that the community is utilizing our services, and that we are meeting all local, state and federal laws. While the goal at the end of the day does not include profit for the owner(s), it does include excess revenue to support the future needs of the not-for-profit. Good solid business operations are a must no matter the sector you are in.
In the not-for-profit business sector, I am often asked to share my expertise with other businesses. I have supported the Tillamook Early Learning Center with fundraising, Tillamook Chamber with preparation and review of personnel policies, Habitat for Humanity with board training and operational planning, Tillamook Food Bank with fundraising and operational planning, and recently Recurrent with financial set up and tracking. I look forward to working with businesses in all sectors in Tillamook County.
3)Tillamook is currently in an almost complete shutdown due to COVID-19. What are some strategies that you would use to:
The most important first step is utilizing these groups to engage with our local business to find out what their greatest needs are and connect them to new and existing local, state and federal resources. There are a great number of resources being released by the federal government right now through the multiple coronavirus response acts. The State is analyzing the federal resources to ensure that what the state makes available is filling gaps left by the federal response rather than duplicating them. We also have local resources such as the fundraising drive in North Tillamook County for businesses. I believe the best work we can do right now, is to coordinate helping our business to access all that is available.
Once the work is done to ensure that businesses have been connected to and supported in receiving the existing resources, I would look at where the gaps are in supporting our businesses and again, work with our experts to identify the best ways to fill those gaps. My experience bringing groups of people together, facilitating conversations, accessing needed resources, and managing operations would allow me to be a strong leader to work with our businesses and our experts during this response.
As one of the local experts in helping people in need, I have identified a list of steps to take and resources that may help for those who have lost their jobs. While each situation is different, I am suggesting that people apply for unemployment, SNAP food benefits, and Oregon Health Plan to support their basic needs. I suggest that they talk with anyone they owe money to such as landlords, car or home loan lenders, student loan lenders, credit card servicers, and others to ask about special programs that are being offered during the COVID-19 crisis. It is important to prioritize the income they do have to pay as many of their bills as they can. Once people have identified what income they can get and what bills they must pay, contact CARE to access the COVID-19 Special Fund, or other CARE programs to help fill in the gaps.
As this crisis continues we will undoubtedly discover additional unmet needs. I will work with other local experts to identify the needs, look for existing local, state and federal resources, and create solutions for those areas where other resources are not available.
4)You are known as a creative problem solver. Would you describe one community situation that you helped solve with a creative solution?
When someone says something can’t be done, that always gets me interested. I am excited to share that the first “Affordable Housing Complex” will be built in Tillamook County in over 15 years. Getting this done required creativity in partnerships and financing. In my position as the Executive Director at CARE I had been told many times that it was not possible to build affordable housing in Tillamook County due to the low median family income. The typical financing tools the State of Oregon offers do not provide enough money to make a property financially viable. In addition, Tillamook County does not have a non-profit housing developer to make the deal happen and then own and operate the property.
My creative solution was to bring in a different set of financial partners than was typical, use incentive funds to bring in a developer, and to get the project started to make it easier for another non-profit to come in and take on the ownership and operation. This is not the typical model for building affordable housing, but it worked and the developer will break ground as soon as is possible during this pandemic.
5)What business background do you have?
My business background begins with being raised in a multi-generational family restaurant and motel business in Maupin Oregon. My grandparents bought the Oasis Café in 1955 and just last year my sister sold it after nearly 65 years in the family. Through this I experienced the challenges of operating a small business in a rural community that relied heavily on tourism. There were good years and there where lean years. There were local, state and federal regulations that impacted how the business operated and the flow of tourist dollars. This experience has prepared me to understand small businesses in Tillamook County and their challenges.
Professionally, my experience with businesses is largely in the not-for-profit sector. As the Executive Director of CARE, I am operating a $3.6 million business with 60 employees each day. I am responsible for ensuring we have adequate revenue to pay our staff and our bills, that the community is utilizing our services, and that we are meeting all local, state and federal laws. I am responsible for leading teams of people, creating and managing budgets, handing human resource needs, and managing contracts. While the goal at the end of the day does not include profit for the owner(s), it does include excess revenue to support the future needs of the not-for-profit. Good solid business operations are a must no matter the sector you are in.
6)There are minimum wage workers in Tillamook County who can’t afford to rent a home/apartment with their salary. What solutions would you propose for solving the affordable housing crisis in Tillamook County?
As the Executive Director of CARE I have been working on solutions to the affordable housing crisis for many years. We need housing to meet the needs of our complete workforce; those who make minimum wage and also those who are making more. This cannot be done without providing builders and developers with some tools. Those may include the support of county and local governments looking at planning and zoning in their areas, local property tax abatement, working with our special districts to provide support so that service development charges can be subsidized, advocating at the state level for rural support and priority, and working with stakeholders to learn what else they need. Currently this effort is being led by the Tillamook County Housing Commission where I am proud to be a member. If I am elected I will continue to participate in and assist in leading this work.
7)What do you offer voters in Tillamook County that would make them want to vote for you?
The role of a County Commissioner is three fold, 1) managing the large non-profit agency that is your county government, 2) working with stakeholders in the county to address issues not directly controlled by county government, and 3) advocating for the county at the state and federal levels. All of these are roles that I fulfill in my position as the Executive Director at CARE. In addition, I have a strong commitment to ensuring that public money is used wisely and I look for efficiencies and ways to cut costs at all times. I am a proven non-profit management professional and leader. My skills and experience are directly transferrable to the position of County Commissioner. Now more than ever we need proven management and leadership experience to recover from this pandemic and move into a future we choose.
8)Tillamook County is very economically and socially diverse. We have farmers, loggers, retired professionals, service workers, very rural residents and very urban residents. Describe how you see the County Commission meeting all those diverse needs
I think the key to meeting diverse needs is listening, both in conversations with individuals, and in making decisions that will impact the entire community. I was trained as a community mediator many years ago and still use many of the tools that I learned. One of the key pieces when working with people who appear to want different things is to really understand the underlying reasons for what they want. Through this process we can often find answers that support both people. This is not always easy, but the extra time spent on communication will make a big difference in the outcome.
When it comes to the bigger picture and meeting diverse needs a strategic plan built with significant community input can help to set a framework for decisions that need to be made. In order to know how to get somewhere, we must know where we are going and why we want to go there. I know that work has started to create a new strategic plan and I will strongly support that work.
9)What agency budgeting experience do you have?
I am, as they say, a numbers person and enjoy working on budgets. During my tenure as the Executive Director at CARE we have grown from a small not-for-profit with a budget of ~$500,000 and a staff of 7, to an organization with a budget of $3.6 million and a staff of 60. I am personally responsible for the creation and management of that $3.6 million budget. Included in this budget are local, state and federal grants and contracts, as well as fee for service work and donations. CARE has more than 40 different funding sources that must all be budgeted separately and then rolled into one large complex budget. I have a book keeper that does the daily financial entries, however, it is my responsibility to review all revenues and expense monthly for accuracy, and to present these to my finance committee and my board of directors.
I am also a member of the County Budget Committee. I started in 2019 and have a good understanding of how our county budget is constructed. The county is at its heart a very large non-profit and has a budget created and managed much like the budget of CARE, simply larger. I look forward to bringing my financial experience and expertise to the county in what will be a challenging time of financial recovery.
10)How do you anticipate getting the timber industry and environmentalists to work together to find solutions for jobs and staying healthy in Tillamook County?
I was able to be in room for the very well attended public hearing around the resolution the Commissioners approved against the Cap and Trade bill. I heard an amazing number of people, both for and against the specific resolution, talk about the need to take good care of our land and good care of our economy. I believe that the formation of a local climate change task force would create a venue to bring together many of those diverse people to look at how we want to move forward to find solutions that will both protect our environment and our jobs. I believe that my skills in bringing people together, listening, and facilitating will allow me to be a strong leader in this challenging area.
11)Tell us something fun about yourself. What are your hobbies? Do you fish?
My husband Jim and I moved to Tillamook in December of 2003 to the Trask Fish Hatchery where he is the manager and where we still live today. Our son Kasey graduated from Tillamook High School in 2005 ensuring that I was first known here as Kasey’s mom. The birth of our daughter Emily has extended that legacy as I am now known as Emily’s mom. Kasey now lives in Madras with his wife Erika and our two granddaughters. He is a fireman and his wife is a kindergarten teacher. Emily attends Tillamook High School where she plays volleyball, is in the band, and volunteers often as a member of the Key Club. I so appreciate how small towns and rural areas provide good education and experiences for our children.
As a family we love the out of doors and can often be found on the rivers, the bays, or the ocean chasing salmon, steelhead, rockfish, and crab. If we aren’t fishing we may be hiking, hunting, or camping.
12)Where is your favorite place to hang out in Tillamook County?
I was raised on a river in Central Oregon which set my lifetime affinity for rivers. I found in Tillamook County so many great rivers and have found that I love the bays where they all come together just as much! Given my druthers on a warm sunny day you will find me either on the banks of the Trask River behind my house, or sitting in our boat on the Tillamook Bay.
1)Broadband access is very limited in Tillamook County. In fact, some homes can’t get internet access at all. Have you worked with broadband access in the past?
I have not worked on broadband access other than at my own at my office where the cost to install it was projected to be over $4,000. I know that these costs under the current system are prohibitively high and that the need to expand that access is very important. This pandemic has highlighted for us the widespread lack of reliability internet connectivity in our county. I look forward to learning more, finding my experts, and working to solve this issue.
13)How do you envision future use of the Tillamook County Transient Lodging Taxes?
How Tillamook County Transient Lodging Taxes can be spent is set in part by state law, and in part by the voters of Tillamook County. I respect both the law and the voters and will follow these rules. That said, I am in support of continuing to lobby at the state level for more local control of these funds for use in supporting services such as law enforcement where there is increased need created by the tourism. Until such time, however, as we gain that approval my answer is for the funds that we do currently have control over.
As with so many things in Tillamook County I believe it is important to listen to our citizens. In this vein I volunteered my time a couple of years ago to be a facilitator with the Futures Council as they did a series of listening sessions around the county. These sessions focused on specifically how the Transient Lodging Taxes set aside for facilities should be spent. The citizens throughout the county had similar ideas. The majority of people were looking to provide signage and guidance for tourist to enjoy and respect our natural areas, for trail connectivity throughout the county, and for some sort of spaces for gathering together such as large event tents or event centers.
Following that work, a consultant was hired to do some additional listening and to help the commissioners create a decision making framework for the next steps. The message from the additional listening was that the county should use funds to better manage the tourism we have rather than expanding tourism. I understand that framework is now complete and I look forward to using that tool built on the hard work of the citizens of the county to guide the future use of these funds.
14)What other things would you like us to know? That you would like to share about yourself?
I am a lifelong Oregonian, raised in the small rural town of Maupin. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and 25 years of experience in non-profit management. I am practical, pragmatic, calm in a crisis, and believe that as a leader my job is to support my team. I value listening and the good communication that comes through listening. I am a member of the Tillamook Kiwanis, I serve on the Adventist Health Tillamook Board, and I am the treasurer for the Tillamook United Way Board. I look forward to bringing my skills and community connections to serve you in the position of Tillamook County Commissioner #1.
Housing - Tillamook County is deep in a housing crisis. We need housing to meet the needs of our complete workforce; those who make minimum wage and also those who are making more. This cannot be done without providing builders and developers with some tools. Those may include the support of county and local governments looking at planning and zoning in their areas, local property tax abatement, working with our special districts to provide support so that service development charges can be subsidized, advocating at the state level for rural support and priority, and working with stakeholders to learn what else they need. Currently this effort is being led by the Tillamook County Housing Commission where I am proud to be a member. If I am elected I will continue to participate in and assist in leading this work,
Climate Change - House bill 2020 brought this issue into sharp focus in our county and the version brought to the short session kept it in the forefront. I believe that climate change is a critical issue for our world and that we have a responsibility and an opportunity to be part of the solution. What we cannot do, however, is wait for others to solve this problem. If I am elected I will create a climate change task force specifically to create a plan for Tillamook County. We have unique issues and opportunities and I believe that we can best decide how to be a part of the solution right here at home. We can then advocate for the best ways for rural counties to participate in future legislation.
County Budget - As a member of the County Budget Committee last year I had the opportunity to see the financial challenges we face first hand. With the computer hack and pandemic this year county budget will be further stretched. If I am elected I will use my skills learned in my 25 years of non-profit management to find efficiencies and additional resources to support the critical services.
Forest Practices - I am pleased to see that the Governor, environmental groups and leaders from the forest industry have committed to work together to update the Oregon Forest Practices Act. I have spoken with passionate environmentalist, and local forest industry professionals, and I found that both are very committed to protecting our forests, our streams, and our way of life. I believe that by being the table together with a commitment to update this critical legislation we will all see progress. In all the information I have found, I do not see that Tillamook County has a seat at this table. If that is true, I will seek to have county representation in the process.
Linn County Law Suit - I am sorry that the counties and the state were not able to come to agreement as to the contractual requirements without this lawsuit. My first approach to any problem is always to seek to help both sides understand the needs of one another, and then to look for a win win approach. In this case that apparently did not work. Now that the decision has been made by a jury, there is another good opportunity for both sides to come to the table and work out a solution without the state having to raise the full judgement amount with interest, while still acknowledging and meeting the needs of the counties. While I do not have a background in the timber industry, I am committed to learning what is needed to ensure that if we are able to sit at the table with the state, Tillamook County will be well represented.
New Questions Recently Asked and Answered (sorry for any duplication with other answers but wanted to get these up here quickly!
1)Why do you want to be a Tillamook County Commissioner?
As a not-for-profit professional I have dedicated my life to the service of others. Through each agency I have worked for, I have served a specialized sub-population. For example, through CARE I support those in need. In doing this work, I have come to believe that the best way to serve is to be in a position where I am able to make decisions and take actions to support everyone in the county rather than just a small slice of the population. Now more than ever strong, seasoned leadership will be needed to help all of Tillamook County recover from this pandemic and move into a future we choose. I have experience the experience needed to lead this very important work.
2)What experience do you have with working with Tillamook businesses?
My experience with Tillamook County’s businesses is largely in the not-for-profit sector of business. As the Executive Director of CARE, I am operating a $3.6 million business with 60 employees each day. I am responsible for ensuring we have adequate revenue to pay our staff and our bills, that the community is utilizing our services, and that we are meeting all local, state and federal laws. While the goal at the end of the day does not include profit for the owner(s), it does include excess revenue to support the future needs of the not-for-profit. Good solid business operations are a must no matter the sector you are in.
In the not-for-profit business sector, I am often asked to share my expertise with other businesses. I have supported the Tillamook Early Learning Center with fundraising, Tillamook Chamber with preparation and review of personnel policies, Habitat for Humanity with board training and operational planning, Tillamook Food Bank with fundraising and operational planning, and recently Recurrent with financial set up and tracking. I look forward to working with businesses in all sectors in Tillamook County.
3)Tillamook is currently in an almost complete shutdown due to COVID-19. What are some strategies that you would use to:
- help businesses start back up after the shutdown?
- help businesses survive and even thrive during the shutdown?
The most important first step is utilizing these groups to engage with our local business to find out what their greatest needs are and connect them to new and existing local, state and federal resources. There are a great number of resources being released by the federal government right now through the multiple coronavirus response acts. The State is analyzing the federal resources to ensure that what the state makes available is filling gaps left by the federal response rather than duplicating them. We also have local resources such as the fundraising drive in North Tillamook County for businesses. I believe the best work we can do right now, is to coordinate helping our business to access all that is available.
Once the work is done to ensure that businesses have been connected to and supported in receiving the existing resources, I would look at where the gaps are in supporting our businesses and again, work with our experts to identify the best ways to fill those gaps. My experience bringing groups of people together, facilitating conversations, accessing needed resources, and managing operations would allow me to be a strong leader to work with our businesses and our experts during this response.
- help people whose jobs are dependent on the service economy and may be laid off?
As one of the local experts in helping people in need, I have identified a list of steps to take and resources that may help for those who have lost their jobs. While each situation is different, I am suggesting that people apply for unemployment, SNAP food benefits, and Oregon Health Plan to support their basic needs. I suggest that they talk with anyone they owe money to such as landlords, car or home loan lenders, student loan lenders, credit card servicers, and others to ask about special programs that are being offered during the COVID-19 crisis. It is important to prioritize the income they do have to pay as many of their bills as they can. Once people have identified what income they can get and what bills they must pay, contact CARE to access the COVID-19 Special Fund, or other CARE programs to help fill in the gaps.
As this crisis continues we will undoubtedly discover additional unmet needs. I will work with other local experts to identify the needs, look for existing local, state and federal resources, and create solutions for those areas where other resources are not available.
4)You are known as a creative problem solver. Would you describe one community situation that you helped solve with a creative solution?
When someone says something can’t be done, that always gets me interested. I am excited to share that the first “Affordable Housing Complex” will be built in Tillamook County in over 15 years. Getting this done required creativity in partnerships and financing. In my position as the Executive Director at CARE I had been told many times that it was not possible to build affordable housing in Tillamook County due to the low median family income. The typical financing tools the State of Oregon offers do not provide enough money to make a property financially viable. In addition, Tillamook County does not have a non-profit housing developer to make the deal happen and then own and operate the property.
My creative solution was to bring in a different set of financial partners than was typical, use incentive funds to bring in a developer, and to get the project started to make it easier for another non-profit to come in and take on the ownership and operation. This is not the typical model for building affordable housing, but it worked and the developer will break ground as soon as is possible during this pandemic.
5)What business background do you have?
My business background begins with being raised in a multi-generational family restaurant and motel business in Maupin Oregon. My grandparents bought the Oasis Café in 1955 and just last year my sister sold it after nearly 65 years in the family. Through this I experienced the challenges of operating a small business in a rural community that relied heavily on tourism. There were good years and there where lean years. There were local, state and federal regulations that impacted how the business operated and the flow of tourist dollars. This experience has prepared me to understand small businesses in Tillamook County and their challenges.
Professionally, my experience with businesses is largely in the not-for-profit sector. As the Executive Director of CARE, I am operating a $3.6 million business with 60 employees each day. I am responsible for ensuring we have adequate revenue to pay our staff and our bills, that the community is utilizing our services, and that we are meeting all local, state and federal laws. I am responsible for leading teams of people, creating and managing budgets, handing human resource needs, and managing contracts. While the goal at the end of the day does not include profit for the owner(s), it does include excess revenue to support the future needs of the not-for-profit. Good solid business operations are a must no matter the sector you are in.
6)There are minimum wage workers in Tillamook County who can’t afford to rent a home/apartment with their salary. What solutions would you propose for solving the affordable housing crisis in Tillamook County?
As the Executive Director of CARE I have been working on solutions to the affordable housing crisis for many years. We need housing to meet the needs of our complete workforce; those who make minimum wage and also those who are making more. This cannot be done without providing builders and developers with some tools. Those may include the support of county and local governments looking at planning and zoning in their areas, local property tax abatement, working with our special districts to provide support so that service development charges can be subsidized, advocating at the state level for rural support and priority, and working with stakeholders to learn what else they need. Currently this effort is being led by the Tillamook County Housing Commission where I am proud to be a member. If I am elected I will continue to participate in and assist in leading this work.
7)What do you offer voters in Tillamook County that would make them want to vote for you?
The role of a County Commissioner is three fold, 1) managing the large non-profit agency that is your county government, 2) working with stakeholders in the county to address issues not directly controlled by county government, and 3) advocating for the county at the state and federal levels. All of these are roles that I fulfill in my position as the Executive Director at CARE. In addition, I have a strong commitment to ensuring that public money is used wisely and I look for efficiencies and ways to cut costs at all times. I am a proven non-profit management professional and leader. My skills and experience are directly transferrable to the position of County Commissioner. Now more than ever we need proven management and leadership experience to recover from this pandemic and move into a future we choose.
8)Tillamook County is very economically and socially diverse. We have farmers, loggers, retired professionals, service workers, very rural residents and very urban residents. Describe how you see the County Commission meeting all those diverse needs
I think the key to meeting diverse needs is listening, both in conversations with individuals, and in making decisions that will impact the entire community. I was trained as a community mediator many years ago and still use many of the tools that I learned. One of the key pieces when working with people who appear to want different things is to really understand the underlying reasons for what they want. Through this process we can often find answers that support both people. This is not always easy, but the extra time spent on communication will make a big difference in the outcome.
When it comes to the bigger picture and meeting diverse needs a strategic plan built with significant community input can help to set a framework for decisions that need to be made. In order to know how to get somewhere, we must know where we are going and why we want to go there. I know that work has started to create a new strategic plan and I will strongly support that work.
9)What agency budgeting experience do you have?
I am, as they say, a numbers person and enjoy working on budgets. During my tenure as the Executive Director at CARE we have grown from a small not-for-profit with a budget of ~$500,000 and a staff of 7, to an organization with a budget of $3.6 million and a staff of 60. I am personally responsible for the creation and management of that $3.6 million budget. Included in this budget are local, state and federal grants and contracts, as well as fee for service work and donations. CARE has more than 40 different funding sources that must all be budgeted separately and then rolled into one large complex budget. I have a book keeper that does the daily financial entries, however, it is my responsibility to review all revenues and expense monthly for accuracy, and to present these to my finance committee and my board of directors.
I am also a member of the County Budget Committee. I started in 2019 and have a good understanding of how our county budget is constructed. The county is at its heart a very large non-profit and has a budget created and managed much like the budget of CARE, simply larger. I look forward to bringing my financial experience and expertise to the county in what will be a challenging time of financial recovery.
10)How do you anticipate getting the timber industry and environmentalists to work together to find solutions for jobs and staying healthy in Tillamook County?
I was able to be in room for the very well attended public hearing around the resolution the Commissioners approved against the Cap and Trade bill. I heard an amazing number of people, both for and against the specific resolution, talk about the need to take good care of our land and good care of our economy. I believe that the formation of a local climate change task force would create a venue to bring together many of those diverse people to look at how we want to move forward to find solutions that will both protect our environment and our jobs. I believe that my skills in bringing people together, listening, and facilitating will allow me to be a strong leader in this challenging area.
11)Tell us something fun about yourself. What are your hobbies? Do you fish?
My husband Jim and I moved to Tillamook in December of 2003 to the Trask Fish Hatchery where he is the manager and where we still live today. Our son Kasey graduated from Tillamook High School in 2005 ensuring that I was first known here as Kasey’s mom. The birth of our daughter Emily has extended that legacy as I am now known as Emily’s mom. Kasey now lives in Madras with his wife Erika and our two granddaughters. He is a fireman and his wife is a kindergarten teacher. Emily attends Tillamook High School where she plays volleyball, is in the band, and volunteers often as a member of the Key Club. I so appreciate how small towns and rural areas provide good education and experiences for our children.
As a family we love the out of doors and can often be found on the rivers, the bays, or the ocean chasing salmon, steelhead, rockfish, and crab. If we aren’t fishing we may be hiking, hunting, or camping.
12)Where is your favorite place to hang out in Tillamook County?
I was raised on a river in Central Oregon which set my lifetime affinity for rivers. I found in Tillamook County so many great rivers and have found that I love the bays where they all come together just as much! Given my druthers on a warm sunny day you will find me either on the banks of the Trask River behind my house, or sitting in our boat on the Tillamook Bay.
1)Broadband access is very limited in Tillamook County. In fact, some homes can’t get internet access at all. Have you worked with broadband access in the past?
I have not worked on broadband access other than at my own at my office where the cost to install it was projected to be over $4,000. I know that these costs under the current system are prohibitively high and that the need to expand that access is very important. This pandemic has highlighted for us the widespread lack of reliability internet connectivity in our county. I look forward to learning more, finding my experts, and working to solve this issue.
13)How do you envision future use of the Tillamook County Transient Lodging Taxes?
How Tillamook County Transient Lodging Taxes can be spent is set in part by state law, and in part by the voters of Tillamook County. I respect both the law and the voters and will follow these rules. That said, I am in support of continuing to lobby at the state level for more local control of these funds for use in supporting services such as law enforcement where there is increased need created by the tourism. Until such time, however, as we gain that approval my answer is for the funds that we do currently have control over.
As with so many things in Tillamook County I believe it is important to listen to our citizens. In this vein I volunteered my time a couple of years ago to be a facilitator with the Futures Council as they did a series of listening sessions around the county. These sessions focused on specifically how the Transient Lodging Taxes set aside for facilities should be spent. The citizens throughout the county had similar ideas. The majority of people were looking to provide signage and guidance for tourist to enjoy and respect our natural areas, for trail connectivity throughout the county, and for some sort of spaces for gathering together such as large event tents or event centers.
Following that work, a consultant was hired to do some additional listening and to help the commissioners create a decision making framework for the next steps. The message from the additional listening was that the county should use funds to better manage the tourism we have rather than expanding tourism. I understand that framework is now complete and I look forward to using that tool built on the hard work of the citizens of the county to guide the future use of these funds.
14)What other things would you like us to know? That you would like to share about yourself?
I am a lifelong Oregonian, raised in the small rural town of Maupin. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Geology and 25 years of experience in non-profit management. I am practical, pragmatic, calm in a crisis, and believe that as a leader my job is to support my team. I value listening and the good communication that comes through listening. I am a member of the Tillamook Kiwanis, I serve on the Adventist Health Tillamook Board, and I am the treasurer for the Tillamook United Way Board. I look forward to bringing my skills and community connections to serve you in the position of Tillamook County Commissioner #1.